Kim Jung Eun was so good at laying out the broken pieces of this housewife in Oohlala Spouses but let’s keep her away from playing guy characters in the future, okay? Ha Ji Won is her usual athletic self in The King 2 Hearts but she is so good at playing up Hang Ah’s girly dreams at the same time as her military roots. Jung Ryeo Won is funny and just great as a naïve screenwriter in The King of Dramas. Kim Hee Sun keeps the romance alive while Lee Min Ho stands there looking pretty in Faith.

I have so many fond memories of The History of the Salaryman because it’s honestly my favorite drama so far of this year and is eternally watchable. It’s not your average Korean drama or comedy. There’s a lot of unexpected surprises in it and is packed with clever jokes and memorable scenes that I can’t believe how engrossing and damn near perfect it was. The writing was truly special but what brought those ideas and words onscreen to life were the ensemble cast who all perform at the top of their game–each and every member of this sprawling cast was really good and was really exciting to watch. I can’t wait until December when I finalize my list for favorite performances this year. I’m sure most of them will make it.

What made me even happier about this drama was how likable and how perfectly acted the four lead characters in this show. While I my favorite performance from this cast changes depending on when you ask me and I probably will write about all four individuals soon, I want to start by writing about a very memorable performance from Jang Ryu Won as Yeo-chi, the foul-mouthed chaebol daughter and heroine of this show.